Papers by Renee Luthra
This paper seeks to return scholarly attention to a core intellectual divide between segmented an... more This paper seeks to return scholarly attention to a core intellectual divide between segmented and conventional (or neo-)assimilation approaches, doing so through a theoretical and empirical reconsideration of contextual effects on second-generation outcomes. We evaluate multiple approaches to measuring receiving country contextual effects and measuring their impact on the educational attainment of the children of immigrants. We demonstrate that our proposed measures better predict second-generation educational attainment than prevailing approaches, enabling a multilevel modeling strategy that accounts for the structure of immigrant families nested within different receiving contexts.
California Center For Population Research, Dec 1, 2008
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Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 1369183x 2010 530880, Dec 1, 2010
Applying Respondent Driven Sampling to Migrant Populations, 2014
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2011
Migration Information Source, Mar 1, 2006
The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which eliminated nationality-based quotas, opened the U... more The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which eliminated nationality-based quotas, opened the United States to a new wave of immigration from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Compared to circumstances in their home countries, the United States has offered most new arrivals a chance to do well. In the long run, however, the fate of immigrants may not be the central issue.
Student migrants from former sending regions now form a substantial share of non-EU migration flo... more Student migrants from former sending regions now form a substantial share of non-EU migration flows to Europe. These flows represent the convergence of extensive internationalisation of higher education with increasing restrictions on family and labour migration. This paper provides the first examination of student migrants' early socio-cultural and structural integration by following recently arrived Pakistani students in London over an 18 month period. We use latent class analysis to identify both elite and two 'middling' typesmiddle class and network-drivenwithin our student sample. We then ask whether these types experience different early sociocultural and structural integration trajectories in the ways that the elite and middling transnational literatures would suggest. We find differences in structural, but less in socio-cultural outcomes.
Demographic research on migration requires representative samples of migrant populations. Yet rec... more Demographic research on migration requires representative samples of migrant populations. Yet recent immigrants, who are particularly informative about current migrant flows, are difficult to capture even in specialist surveys. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS), a chain referral sampling and analysis technique, potentially offers the opportunity to achieve population-level inference of recently arrived migrant populations.
Demography, 2015
One in five U.S. residents under the age of 18 has at least one foreign-born
parent. Given the l... more One in five U.S. residents under the age of 18 has at least one foreign-born
parent. Given the large proportion of immigrants with very low levels of schooling, the
strength of the intergenerational transmission of education between immigrant parent
and child has important repercussions for the future of social stratification in the United
States. We find that the educational transmission process between parent and child is
much weaker in immigrant families than in native families and, among immigrants,
differs significantly across national origins. We demonstrate how this variation causes a
substantial overestimation of the importance of parental education in immigrant fam-
ilies in studies that use aggregate data. We also show that the common practice of
“
controlling
”
for family human capital using parental years of schooling is
problematic when comparing families from different origin countries and espe-
cially when comparing native and immigr
ant families. We link these findings to
analytical and empirical distinctions be
tween group- and individual-level pro-
cesses in intergenerational transmission.
European Sociological Review, Jan 2013
International Migration Review, Jan 1, 2010
We evaluate recent revisions of assimilation theory by comparing the labor market performance of ... more We evaluate recent revisions of assimilation theory by comparing the labor market performance of Mexican immigrants and their descendents to those of native white and Black Americans. Using unique data from the CPS Contingent Worker Series, we measure the employment sector distribution, fringe benefits, and earnings of four Mexican foreign born cohorts, second generation, and third generation Mexican Americans. We find little evidence that Mexican Americans are clustered in nonstandard work, noting instead improvement in benefits and pay amongst older cohorts and the second and third generation. However, all Mexican origin workers are disadvantaged relative to native whites in terms of benefits. It is only within the public sector that the labor market outcomes of Mexican origin workers fully converge with native whites. Labor market outcomes of Mexican origin workers 3
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Jan 1, 2009
ABSTRACT High-skilled immigration to the United States is a growing area in immigration, labour a... more ABSTRACT High-skilled immigration to the United States is a growing area in immigration, labour and policy research. Research on this subject focuses on the labour market impact of the largest skilled immigrant group: H-1Bs, temporary visa-holders with at least a baccalaureate degree. Many studies have demonstrated that these workers are paid the prevailing wage, yet they continue to be recruited despite unemployment and wage stagnation in H-1B sectors. In this paper I argue that, to understand the attractiveness of H-1Bs, we must look beyond their effects on wages and unemployment, and frame the flow of skilled migrants to the US in terms of the broader advantages they provide: flexible labour, the most up-to-date skills, and the lower expectations of immigrants regarding working conditions and benefits. I broaden the debate on skilled immigrants by examining the relationship between recently arrived immigrant status and two crucial labour market dimensions: contingent employment and eligibility for employer-subsidised health-care and retirement benefits. In addition, wage differentials are reassessed with contingent status, years since immigration, and high-tech industry controlled. My findings support the conclusions of prior studies that H-1Bs are not ‘cheap labour’; rather, this study shows they are utilised as flexible labour.
Working Papers by Renee Luthra
This paper assesses estimates of immigrant intergenerational mobility that are based on aggregate... more This paper assesses estimates of immigrant intergenerational mobility that are based on aggregate data sources. We show that aggregation bias strongly inflates estimates of the relationship between immigrants’ educational attainment and the educational attainment of their children. Compared to natives, the educational transmission process between parent and child is much weaker in immigrant families. A number of group-level processes, such as societal discrimination, ethnic segregation, or ethnic networks, may render group characteristics more important predictors of second generation educational attainment than parental education.
Surveying recently arrived immigrants in countries lacking a population register
poses many chall... more Surveying recently arrived immigrants in countries lacking a population register
poses many challenges. We describe our adaptation of Respondent Driven Sampling, a chainreferral
technique, to sample migrants from Pakistan and Poland who had arrived in the UK
within the previous 18 months. Specifically, we discuss issues around connectedness,
privacy, clustering, and motivation, central to the implementation of RDS. We outline
techniques adopted and evaluate their success. We conclude that RDS is unlikely to be
suitable for accessing newly arrived migrants. However, in the absence of registers which can
capture populations at point of entry there are no obvious alternatives.
This paper demonstrates the relationship between migration motivations and intended
durations of ... more This paper demonstrates the relationship between migration motivations and intended
durations of stay and subsequent early integration among recent east-west European migrants.
We use a unique, four-country data source covering over 3,500 recently arrived (previous 18
months) Polish immigrants. First we use a data reduction technique to allocate the migrants to
six migrant types according to their motivations, intended duration of stay, and previous
migration history. Second, we link these migrant types to pre-migration characteristics such
as gender, age, and region of origin. Third, we explore how the migrant types are associated
with social, subjective, and economic measures of integration.
Given limited resources and an extended recession, it is critical to understand what is gained fr... more Given limited resources and an extended recession, it is critical to understand what is gained from investments in post--secondary education. In this paper, we study the heterogeneous returns to post-secondary education across three unique country contexts. Drawing on panel data and matching techniques, we compare parallel analyses of the US, the UK, and Germany to discover how wage returns to a college degree differ depending on individuals' propensities to complete university. Studying men in their later careers, we find important variation across countries. In both the UK and Germany, we find negative selection into university; those least likely to complete benefit most from completion. By contrast, in the US, at later ages, those most likely to complete benefit most from completion. In supplementary analysis, we show that at least some of this variation can be explained by differences in the size and prevalence of academic post--secondary sectors in each country.
This paper compares the educational performance of the children of immigrants to the children in ... more This paper compares the educational performance of the children of immigrants to the children in their parents' home countries. I utilize the 2003 and 2006 PISA internationally standardized test scores for Italian, Polish, Turkish, former Yugoslavian, and former Soviet origin youth attending school in Germany, as well as youth attending school in the origin countries. Controlling for family background, I find that the children of immigrants in Germany perform better than peers in every origin country with the exception of Italy. Checks for selection bias suggest that positive selection may account for some, but not all, of this immigrant advantage.
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Papers by Renee Luthra
parent. Given the large proportion of immigrants with very low levels of schooling, the
strength of the intergenerational transmission of education between immigrant parent
and child has important repercussions for the future of social stratification in the United
States. We find that the educational transmission process between parent and child is
much weaker in immigrant families than in native families and, among immigrants,
differs significantly across national origins. We demonstrate how this variation causes a
substantial overestimation of the importance of parental education in immigrant fam-
ilies in studies that use aggregate data. We also show that the common practice of
“
controlling
”
for family human capital using parental years of schooling is
problematic when comparing families from different origin countries and espe-
cially when comparing native and immigr
ant families. We link these findings to
analytical and empirical distinctions be
tween group- and individual-level pro-
cesses in intergenerational transmission.
Working Papers by Renee Luthra
poses many challenges. We describe our adaptation of Respondent Driven Sampling, a chainreferral
technique, to sample migrants from Pakistan and Poland who had arrived in the UK
within the previous 18 months. Specifically, we discuss issues around connectedness,
privacy, clustering, and motivation, central to the implementation of RDS. We outline
techniques adopted and evaluate their success. We conclude that RDS is unlikely to be
suitable for accessing newly arrived migrants. However, in the absence of registers which can
capture populations at point of entry there are no obvious alternatives.
durations of stay and subsequent early integration among recent east-west European migrants.
We use a unique, four-country data source covering over 3,500 recently arrived (previous 18
months) Polish immigrants. First we use a data reduction technique to allocate the migrants to
six migrant types according to their motivations, intended duration of stay, and previous
migration history. Second, we link these migrant types to pre-migration characteristics such
as gender, age, and region of origin. Third, we explore how the migrant types are associated
with social, subjective, and economic measures of integration.
parent. Given the large proportion of immigrants with very low levels of schooling, the
strength of the intergenerational transmission of education between immigrant parent
and child has important repercussions for the future of social stratification in the United
States. We find that the educational transmission process between parent and child is
much weaker in immigrant families than in native families and, among immigrants,
differs significantly across national origins. We demonstrate how this variation causes a
substantial overestimation of the importance of parental education in immigrant fam-
ilies in studies that use aggregate data. We also show that the common practice of
“
controlling
”
for family human capital using parental years of schooling is
problematic when comparing families from different origin countries and espe-
cially when comparing native and immigr
ant families. We link these findings to
analytical and empirical distinctions be
tween group- and individual-level pro-
cesses in intergenerational transmission.
poses many challenges. We describe our adaptation of Respondent Driven Sampling, a chainreferral
technique, to sample migrants from Pakistan and Poland who had arrived in the UK
within the previous 18 months. Specifically, we discuss issues around connectedness,
privacy, clustering, and motivation, central to the implementation of RDS. We outline
techniques adopted and evaluate their success. We conclude that RDS is unlikely to be
suitable for accessing newly arrived migrants. However, in the absence of registers which can
capture populations at point of entry there are no obvious alternatives.
durations of stay and subsequent early integration among recent east-west European migrants.
We use a unique, four-country data source covering over 3,500 recently arrived (previous 18
months) Polish immigrants. First we use a data reduction technique to allocate the migrants to
six migrant types according to their motivations, intended duration of stay, and previous
migration history. Second, we link these migrant types to pre-migration characteristics such
as gender, age, and region of origin. Third, we explore how the migrant types are associated
with social, subjective, and economic measures of integration.